Tehillim 45 and Hair Covering

Tehillim 45 and Hair Covering

Tehillim 45:14 “Kol kevudah bat melech פנימה mi-mishbetzot zahav levushah” — (all the glory of the king’s daughter is within; her garment is adorned with gold embroidery). It was taught in a baraita: Kimchit had seven sons, and all of them served as High Priests in the Temple. The Sages asked her: “What did you do to merit such a thing?” She answered them: “The beams of my house never saw my hair.” They said to her: “Many women did the same, but it did not help them.” The Jerusalem Talmud states: “All the glory of the king’s daughter is within; her garment is adorned with gold embroidery” (Tehillim 45:14). This means that a modest woman is worthy of having High Priests descend from her—High Priests whose garments are adorned with gold embroidery (Rashi on Yoma 47). We learn from the Torah that Jewish married women covered their heads, and the Sages derive this from the laws of Sotah—the procedure concerning a woman suspected of having relations with another man. This procedure was carried out in the Temple, where the Kohen determined whether she had been intimate with that man by giving her special water to drink, in which Hashem’s Name had been erased. At the same time, the Kohen uncovered her hair, from which the Sages deduce that a Jewish woman’s hair was ordinarily gathered and covered. Rashi adds that the Kohen uncovered her hair in order to humiliate her. It follows that when a woman’s hair is uncovered, it is humiliating for her (Bamidbar 5:12–31). But there are two women in Tanakh whose conduct fully reveals how serious the matter of a married woman covering her hair is. Both violated the prohibition in order to save their husbands. One was the wife of On ben Pelet, about whom quite a lot has been written. The other was the wife of Shimi ben Gera, whose story is little known. The Wife of On ben Pelet On ben Pelet was a grandson of Reuven, the eldest of Yaakov’s sons. He was one of those who led Korach’s rebellion against Moshe and Aharon. The Sages say that the Torah mentions his father’s name for a reason: the name “Pelet” shares a root with the word “miracles,” hinting at the miraculous salvation that On ben Pelet merited. Although his wife’s name is not mentioned, all the Sages hold her up as an example of a Jewish woman. The Sages say that three women saved their husbands from death: “the wife of On, Michal the daughter of Shaul, and Serach the daughter of Asher.” The story of Korach and his associates’ rebellion against the brothers Moshe and Aharon is well known. Among them were 250 heads of families and elders, led by On ben Pelet, Datan, and Aviram. Together, they decided to rebel against Moshe and seize power for themselves. When On came home and enthusiastically told his wife about his decision—to offer incense the following morning and, moreover, in the hope of becoming the High Priest—his wife became frightened for him and began trying to dissuade him. His wise wife asked On: “What do you stand to gain from this dispute? Whoever wins—Moshe, Aharon, or Korach—you will remain a follower. You will not become either the leader of the nation or the High Priest, so why get involved in this dispute? What difference does it make whom you obey?” Her sound reasoning sobered On. He understood that his wife was right, but he had already sworn allegiance to Korach and was now obligated to join everyone in the morning… His wife understood that she had to do everything possible to prevent Korach’s associates, when they came to their tent in the morning to summon her husband, from taking him with them. What did she do? She gave her husband strong wine, and when he became drunk and fell asleep, she left the tent and sat at the entrance to their home. She removed the scarf from her head—which was unheard of in those times—and began combing her hair. When On failed to arrive at the appointed time, Korach ordered that someone be sent for him. Korach’s men approached the tent and saw On’s wife sitting there with her head uncovered and combing her hair. Embarrassed, the messengers turned back. Several hours later, when it became clear what a terrible death had overtaken the rebels, On understood who had saved him. The renowned Kabbalist Menachem Azariah mi-Pano writes that many generations later, the soul of On ben Pelet’s wife underwent gilgul in Michal, the daughter of King Shaul. Because On’s wife had saved her husband’s life by explaining in time that he could never rule, it was decreed in Heaven that her soul would descend in the body of a king’s daughter and a king’s wife. And just as she had once saved her husband in his dispute with Korach, so, in the body of Michal, she was able to save her husband David from her father, King Shaul. (Tzipi Koltinyuk) The Wife of Shimi ben Gera The Book of Shmuel II relates that after Avshalom rebelled against his father, King David, David left Yerushalayim. As he approached the city of Bachurim, Shimi ben Gera, who was from the house of King Shaul, came out to meet him. He threw stones at King David and abused and cursed him. Avishai, the son of Tzeruyah, wanted to defend the king and punish Shimi, but David said: “Who is this son of Tzeruyah, that he should curse? Perhaps G-d has told him, ‘Curse David.’ If my own son, who came from my body, seeks my life, how much more so the son of a Benjaminite? Leave him alone. Let him curse.” David accepted upon himself the trial of humiliation—“bizonot.” Shimi continued cursing him and throwing stones and dirt at him. King David said: “Perhaps G-d will see my tears and repay me with good… today.” The Ramak teaches that by accepting humiliation upon himself, precisely at the moment when Shimi ben Gera was cursing him, King David merited becoming the fourth, alongside the Patriarchs, in the Heavenly Chariot. Later, after King David’s victory over Avshalom, Shimi came to ask forgiveness, and King David forgave him and promised not to kill him. But before his death, he told his son Shlomo to deal with Shimi as he saw fit. David did not kill Shimi because, through Ruach HaKodesh, he knew that redeemers of the Jewish people—Esther and Mordechai—would descend from Shimi. But how could such descendants have come from someone like Shimi? Chazal say that it was in the merit of Shimi’s wife. When David asked his friend Hushai to remain in Yerushalayim in order to thwart Achitofel’s plan, David arranged with Hushai that all information would be conveyed through Ahimaaz and Yonatan. When Hushai succeeded in overturning Achitofel’s advice, Ahimaaz and Yonatan set out to bring David the news. They were spotted, and word was brought to Avshalom. A pursuit began. Ahimaaz and Yonatan ran into Shimi’s house. Shimi’s righteous wife hid them in a well, removed the scarf from her head, covered the well with it, and sat nearby with her hair loose. When Avshalom’s soldiers saw a woman with loose hair, they immediately backed away and said: “It is impossible that two righteous men are hiding in the well while such an important woman with loose hair is sitting nearby.” When they asked her whether she had seen them, she told them that they had crossed the stream. Thus, they returned to Yerushalayim empty-handed. When Ahimaaz and Yonatan returned to David alive and unharmed, the Almighty said to Shimi’s wife: “Because you disgraced yourself in order to save these two righteous men, I will bring forth from you two righteous people who will stand up in defense of Israel, and for their sake I will save the people of Israel from destruction.” The descendants of Shimi’s wife—Mordechai and Esther—came and became the saviors of the people of Israel in the days of Purim. (Moshe Abramovich)